A Talk on “Against State Logic: Understanding the Dalit Christian/Dalit Muslim Challenge” by Dr Nidhin Donald
On the joyous occasion of 75th Constitution Day, the Politics division at Krea University invites everyone to a talk by Dr Nidhin Donald.
ABOUT THE TALK
The Dalit Muslim/Dalit Christian challenge to the stipulation of religion in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order of 1950 is a critical chapter in India’s postcolonial history. In this presentation, I will argue that the Indian state’s inability to address this challenge stems from two well-oiled assumptions—one, caste disparity is an exclusive domain of the Hindus (and allied faith systems) and two, conversion to Islam or Christianity is an absolute material and ideational break from an essentially ‘Hindu’ past. With the help of sociological and historical studies on Indian Christianity, I will counter these assumptions and highlight how the marginalised social groups among Christians and Muslims are calling for a methodological and political rethink on caste and religion in the light of persistent socio-economic exploitation.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr Nidhin Donald is a sociologist with a keen interest in the study of historical materials. His doctoral thesis analysed Syrian Christian identity politics through a study of printed family histories (and their digital iterations) starting from the early 20th century. Post PhD, he has been tracing the interactions between Indian Christians and the modern state at the site of community archives, affirmative action and legal reforms. He has also been analysing the conceptual journey of the human dwelling in public health/global health discourses, through an archival study of the League of Nations Health Organisation (1935-1939) and World Health Organization documents in Geneva, Switzerland. His publications revolve around questions of social reproduction of identities, popular historiography, migration, digital cultural objects, law, caste, Christianity, and Kerala. His work can be placed within a growing body of scholarship that highlights the complex, modern life of caste/s beyond Hinduism in South Asia. Before joining the Moturi Satyanarayana Centre, Donald was an Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at IIT Bombay (2022-23) and Swiss Government Excellence Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Lucerne (2023-24).
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